Nightmare's End
by Falling rain
Summary: Even Saya has nightmares as she sleeps… so what happens when one wakes her up early and she finds that Haji is not by her side? Haji/Saya, set 10 years after the last episode of Blood Plus. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1: Awakening

**Summary:** Even Saya has nightmares as she sleeps… so what happens when one wakes her up early and she finds that Haji is not by her side? Haji/Saya, set 10 years after the last episode of Blood+.

**Author's Notes:** This is my tribute to the series I so love, Blood+ and its two awesomest characters. So awesome that I had to write a fic devoted to them =) . Several things to note, I spell Haji with a J, just because I've always thought of it that way, and don't feel happy when I see it with the G (sorry, a bit of an OCDness there). I've tried to minimise the use of Japanese in the dialogue too (this is after all, an _English _fanfiction, written by an English speaking writer for an English speaking audience), leaving only 'onee-san/chan' which many of you know, means elder sister, and 'onii-san/chan', elder brother. As for 'nankurunaisa' (ohpleasepleasepleaseIhopeIspeltthatright), if you don't know, you should go rewatch the series ^_~ .

And now my blathering ends, on to the story!

_**Nightmare's End – Chapter 1: Awakening**_

As she slept she dreamt, dreams of formless creatures, of fear, of blind, pure rage, of emptiness, of regret, of fire and pain, of death. Most of all of death; death that had evaded her completely, and now seemed to be even more out of her grasp with the passing of years.

She could remember a voice, one that always said her name, one that always told her to _fight, _and finally, telling her of love. Love unfulfilled, for the voice was always snuffed out as she screamed one name desperately.

Even curled up within her cocoon, she thrashed wildly. In her dreams, she was tearing through the rubble, until her fingers bled and her whole body was covered with dirt, her throat filled with dust and choked down sobs, and she cried out over and over again, screaming, waiting for his answering call that never came.

It was always he who said her name, he who called her, he who was always beside her.

When had she ever sought him out? When had she ever given him _anything? _

She had always taken, taken him for granted, taking his unquestioning loyalty, always _assumed _he would be there by her side, her shadow, her Chevalier, her knight.

Even the promise she had extracted out of him, to kill her, it was all selfishness. As if she did not already know, her death would automatically be a prelude to his.

He was always giving, giving, giving, and she, the greedy consumer had only taken.

He had declared his love, she had made no reply.

He had watched over her and protected her always… and she had watched him die, or at least, allowed him to run to his death.

That night she should have died with him.

The only thing she had ever given to him, nay, forced upon him was the curse of eternal life – an unhappy one she could say, one forever in servitude of her. But he had reprieve now. He could rest.

And she was alone.

The still night air around the family tomb was pierced with a searing high scream of pain and loss. Such was the intensity of the cry that the silence that lapsed after that was deafening in the absence of sound. Animals that had been calmly carrying out their nightly business turned and fled to their shelters and homes, cowering down with fiercely beating hearts.

Not too far off, a small babe heard faint echoes of the scream and started crying incessantly, refusing to be soothed despite the clucking ministrations of its mother.

Nothing stirred around that hill, not even a breath of wind moved through the leaves where they hung on the branches of the luxuriantly foliaged trees nearby.

Then, she woke.

***

Miles and miles away, on a different hill in a different continent, facing the bright night lights of Paris, a lone figure stood abruptly, a cello bow falling out of a bandaged hand to land unnoticed onto the wet grass.

Pale blue eyes widened in shock, and a head was lifted, as if the person was listening, listening with all his might to something he only could hear.

A heartbeat later, that place was empty, as if no one had ever been there, leaving only a small indentation in the ground where the cello base had rested before the moss covered tree stump where he had sat earlier.

***

"Saya-neechan, Saya-neechan!" A lilting voice interrupted her daze and she blinked down to look into eyes that were uncannily like her own, in size and shade.

"Yes, Mic-chi?" she replied, using the pet name that everyone called her little niece by.

"Lookit this!" the child proclaimed happily, producing a rather misshapen piece of pastry for Saya's approval. "Kai and I made it!"

"It looks delicious!" Saya proclaimed, and almost regretted her words when her irrepressible niece broke off a part, offering it to her. Smiling bravely, Saya crammed the entire thing into her mouth, and her eyes opened wide with surprise. "Yummy!" she declared, to the proud gigglings of her niece. It really was good, the pastry was delicate and melt in the mouth, while the pineapple filling was slightly tart and yet sweet.

"This one'll be a grand chef someday," Kai proclaimed proudly, ruffling Miyuki's pixie cut hair. Miyuki made a moue of false anger, before dissolving into happy gurgles of mirth. Seeing the sight, Saya felt the ends of her mouth turn up into a smile almost involuntarily. There was a faint touch on her elbow, and she turned to face a luminous blue gaze that fixed on hers unblinkingly.

"Saya-neechan," was all Kiyora said, before pressing a sheet of paper into Saya's hand. She then stood there waiting as Saya examined the drawing will all the gravity she could muster. Inwardly however, she couldn't help but smile at this niece's complete seriousness, and contrast to her twin. In that, she was very like Riku in one of his pensive moods, quiet but capable of great insight beyond her years.

Saya gave the drawing as honest praise and criticism as she could, and was rewarded by one of Kiyora's rare smiles, which transformed her face entirely.

"All right that's enough, bed time for the two of you!" Kai said, putting his arms around both girls' waists and lifting them up as easily as can be. Miyuki wriggled around until she faced Saya, waving goodnight and then messing up Kai's hair, not that it made much of a difference. Kiyora on the other hand was still and submitted calmly to what she might have considered an indignity if she had the vocabulary enough to describe it. However, she leaned her head onto Kai's shoulder in a silent gesture of affection, her long hair falling in a glossy cascade down his back.

Saya smiled at the pretty tableau that they made, her fingers absently tracing over the drawing that Kiyora had handed her. It couldn't be denied, Kiyora had a budding talent, and she was sure that Kai would do what he could to make sure that it was adequately nurtured.

A small noise to her left told her that Kai had returned, and had taken a seat at the old wooden table. She smiled at him and said, "This place hasn't changed at all."

"Of course not," he replied easily. "Imagine how Pop's heart would break if I tore out all this old wooden stuff and replaced it with all those modernistic silver white things that are all the rage now."

Saya laughed. "It looks lovely the way it is." She stopped mid-smile as she noticed Kai's worried gaze upon her own. He started fidgeting a little, a sure sign that he was disturbed. "Kai? What is it? What's wrong?" She bit her lip, looking to him for an explanation.

"Hah," he said, rubbing the back of his head and leaning back in his chair. "Well, it's just that…don't get me wrong, I'm really happy that you're awake early and all, it's great that you get to see the girls before they've all grown up, and I wouldn't have thought that we'd had a reunion again so soon… Just gave David and Julia a call, and Kaori's coming by tomorrow, Lulu's been with Mao and Okamura, traveling the world, and everyone's just so eager and so happy to see you…"

"Kai, what is it?" she cut through his words. He was definitely babbling.

"Well the thing is… Why are you awake now? I can't help but wonder…"

"It is true, this is unprecedented… I've never woken up early on my own…"

"Except that time in Vietnam.." Kai started to say, and instantly stopped, seeing the cloud that came over her eyes at his words. "But that was different. You, waking up on your own… Julia's all curious about it, she's completely eager to research it up and stuff, despite being an old married woman and all."

"Last time, it was Ha –" Saya started to say, and found that she couldn't continue without choking up. She tried again. "Last time it was a transfusion of blood injected directly into me. I woke up, went berserk… But I doubt it'll happen this time, if that's what you're thinking about." Inside she thought rather ironically that it had been due to Haji again that she had woken up this time, just that it was the emptiness of life without him, rather than an infusion of his blood. Seeing Kai still looking rather flustered, she reached out her hand to cover his. "Don't –"

"Dammit Saya!" Kai said, slamming his other hand on the table, though the one she held he left limply in hers. He looked up, his gaze holding her eyes. "Don't you get it? That time, you woke up and went back to sleep almost immediately after that. Now, I'm just wondering how much of our lives can we share together before…" He stopped, breathing in deeply. "Before you leave us again." He gave her a crooked smile. "Our family isn't complete unless you're here."

"Kai…"

"Then I wonder, will it be another twenty, thirty more years before you wake up again? By then the girls will be full grown and…" Kai had pulled his hand out of hers and was ruffling his hair madly. "I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just so glad that you're awake and I wish you would be with us longer…" He buried his face in his hands.

Saya got up and knelt beside Kai, enveloping him in an awkward hug.

"No matter what, you'll always be my brave, amazing, wonderful onii-chan who had worked so hard to keep our family together." And she smiled up at him, but her smile did not reach her eyes, which were looking dangerously full, and threatening to spill over.

Seeing this, Kai came to himself, and gave her one of his widest grins.

"What am I doing? You're back with us and I sit around moaning! Nankurunaisa!" Stretching out his arms, he yawned, messing his own hair wildly about again. "It's time I get some sleep! Keeping track of those two kids is taking all the energy out of me!"

"Goodnight Kai," Saya said, forcing another smile onto her face for his sake.

"Goodnight Saya," he replied, waving idly even though his back was turned as he walked back to his room. Of course, this was so she could not see the look that had already covered his face.

Once she had heard him return to his room, his door closing softly behind him, she stood up, trudging wearily back to her room, collapsing on her bed without bothering to change, closing her eyes and surrendering once again to the nightmares.

***

**Author's Note: **Apologies for any OOCness. And apologies for glaring mistakes grammatically and otherwise.. I have no beta-er and am not a very good critic of meself =D . It was meant to be a Haji/Saya fic _exclusively. _But Kai somehow forced himself into things(like he always does =) ) and the twins came along for the ride as well. So here I am saddled with what might become a 2 or more chapter fic! Le gasp. Chapter two will be up..eventually ^^** . **


	2. Chapter 2: Reunion

Apologies for the delay… I went into a Yuffentine craze after I had this chapter half written, and today was the first day I could drag myself out of it for long enough to finish this chapter(and this story). It began as a tiny idea, without much of a plot, and well, can't say it really ended with a big bang. Just mostly fluff. I can say though, through writing this, I have gained several new plot ideas, so I will probably write more Blood Plus fanfiction in the future. Anyways.. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy it! :D

_**Chapter 2 – Reunion**_

"Saya-neechan!"

The morning began with a huge ball of energy launching itself and landing oh-so-gracefully on Saya's rather empty belly.

So rudely awakened, it was all Saya could do but blink rather dazedly, staring at the niece who had decided to begin her day in such a manner.

"Kai says breakfast is ready." Kiyora was, as always, near her twin, but without the exuberance than characterised Miyuki. She was perched daintily on the edge of Saya's bed, regarding her sister and aunt with a penetrating, straightforward gaze that was so reminiscent of her deceased mother that Saya felt chills on her spine. Then, Kiyora smiled, a smile entirely without malice and filled with so much happiness that Saya was even more painfully reminded of the twins' mother, who had smiled exactly that way before she died. "He's made our favourite miso soup. Your favourite."

"Rolled omelette!" declared Miyuki, her arms already around Saya's neck, giving her a gaze intense enough to rival her sister's. "You like that too right? Kai's told us all about you!"

"Girls!" Kai had entered the room. Picking both of them up again, he turned to go out. "What are you doing, disturbing your aunt early in the morning? She'll think that you were raised by a complete savage!"

Again, Saya could not help by smile as Mic-chi's giggles filled the house again. She washed up quickly, stomach already grumbling, demanding for food.

As the two girls happily demolished their breakfast in their characteristic manners, with Miyuki gobbling indelicately, while Kiyora picked demurely at her food and still contrived to eat as much as her twin in the same amount of time, Saya remarked to Kai, "Soon you won't be able to pick them up and carry them around everywhere anymore like you do now. Then you'll be in some trouble, for while you restrain one, the other will still be running around causing mischief!"

"Hahahahaha!" Kai erupted into laughter, though to Saya it sounded rather forced. "Yes, I really wonder what I'll do then. Maybe lock them up in the house somewhere…" He trailed off as another shadow passed over Saya's face. His joke had reminded her too much of Diva's imprisonment and the subsequent consequences.

Noticing that his expression too had fallen, Saya mentally berated herself for being such a killjoy. "So, anything planned for today? Since the girls are on holiday and all…"

Kai eagerly seized the 'safe' topic of the girls. "Well, there's this place I've promised to take them to…"

"The beach!" squealed the twins in unison, even Kiyora looking extremely excited and flushed with anticipation.

There were a few quick knocks on the door and Kai got up a little begrudgingly. "I wonder who that is," he muttered. "The sign says closed, but heck, some of the customers can't seem to read and bang on the door at all sorts of odd hou–" He stopped when he saw who was standing there.

Saya drew in a quick gasp of breath when the person entered the room, and her eyes automatically filled up with tears.

"Kaori!" she stuttered out, before her best friend had completely smothered her in an embrace.

Kaori had not changed much over the years; the passage of time had been kindly to her, as it had been to Kai. Her face was now more lined than it had been, but her smile was still the same bright, friendly one that Saya remembered.

"I've missed you," Kaori sobbed out, hugging Saya even closer. "When Kai told me that you were awake again…"

Saya, her own eyes filled with tears, and almost unable to speak, told Kaori that she had missed her too.

A shadow fell across the doorway, where the door had still been left opened, and Saya looked up to see more familiar faces.

"David! Julia!" she said, gently extricating herself from Kaori's arms. She moved towards them and automatically hugged Julia, who smelt as she always had, of lavender and disinfectant. She peered behind Julia to see a blonde boy, roughly around the twins' age, and he was holding the hand of a younger child, too young for Saya to adequately judge its gender, but bewitchingly pretty, with all of Julia's neat features. They hung back a little, and seemed rather shy.

"That's Ralph, and that's Angelique," David told her, quiet pride in his voice. Saya smiled down at the two children, who shyly smiled back at her.

"Now that almost everyone's here…we're going for a barbeque on the beach later!" Kai announced, to the cheers of the twins. "I need someone to help me with the groceries!"

"I'll go," David said. "And we'll bring the kids. I'm sure the girls have plenty to talk about."

And he was right.

When the rest had left, Julia opened her bag, taking out a packet of red liquid.

"You haven't had any transfusions yet right? Kai told us yesterday that he was fresh out. So we stopped by the ex-Red Shield headquarters to bring a new supply for you and the girls."

Saya didn't even wince as the sterile needle was inserted into her arm. After all, she was used to it.

***

The sun had already begun its descent from its zenith for a few hours when David, Kai and the children returned, the latter group rosy eyed and flushed from the excitement of a day out, the two adults looking rather tired and harassed.

Seeing them, Saya had whispered to Julia that perhaps the men would have found their former duties in the Red Shield much less taxing than the one that they had on their hands now. Julia gave a small smile in agreement, but had already gone to take a wriggling Angelique out of her father's arms, where she was evidently sulking.

Surrounded by the sudden noise after the quiet chat of the time before, it was a rather disconcerting experience, but, when she stopped to mull over it, Saya found that she liked it. The bustle somehow helped keep her from withdrawing into her little world and thinking too much, and when she didn't think too much, she wouldn't remember too much, and the pain, though it never went away, subsided to a milder ache in the back of her mind.

They were ready to go sooner than Saya would have thought, and so they set out to the beach, all hustling into the van that David and Julia had come in. It was a fairly tight squeeze though, so Saya was more than happy to get out at their destination, breathing in the salty air with delight.

In the ten years, the place had not changed drastically. It was still beautiful, still serene, and she was glad that time had not wrought dramatic alterations while she slept.

Kai had taken over the grill and strongly resisted any offers for assistance, proudly declaring that he alone would whip up the best meal that they would ever taste.

The children decided to play in the water and sand, and were allowed to run around freely, with Kaori throwing dignity to the wind and joining them.

For Saya, the laughter and the tranquility that she felt while watching all this was almost surreal. They had had ten years to adapt to a lifestyle of peace, while she had gone to sleep barely one month after the fighting was finally over. She still was not used to having these moments, with no worries of the next Chiropteran attack, or the urge to leap to her feet and grab her sword and track Diva.

It would have been perfect except for the bitter note of the sense that something was missing. Too many had died during the war, and even now, among the joy surrounding her, Saya felt that there was an emptiness that should not have existed.

Closing her eyes to hold back the tears she knew were coming, she lay back onto the sun warmed sand, letting the sea breeze ruffle her hair. Taking deep breaths, she willed her body into stillness for if she didn't, the trembling would set in and she wouldn't be able to control herself in front of her family and friends.

A shadow fell across her body, and her eyes snapped open, body almost instantly on alert, still too used to the long years she had spent battling. Her right hand clawed through the sand almost frantically, searching for a sword that was not there.

"Yo," Okamura said coolly, glancing down at Saya. "We got back as fast as we could. Lulu's dying to see you, but since the sun's still up, she's waiting with Mao until later."

Her eyes still blazing red, Saya smiled a little tentatively at the still scruffy reporter. She hadn't really gotten to know him very well, but having struggled through the dark war together, he was a comrade, and one that she was happy to see…alive.

Meanwhile, Okamura was looking around at the group gathered around the beach.

"Hmph. That's odd. Would have thought that he would be here by now," he muttered noncommittally, scratching the back of his head. He reached into his front pocket and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. Discovering that the packet was filled with half broken Pocky sticks, he gave a deep sigh of one long used to abuse, and kept it again.

"Who?" Saya asked, her face pale. She had already bolted straight upright at his words, swaying a little unsteadily on her feet.

Okamura didn't seem to notice the strain in her voice, instead, he was busy patting down the pockets of the vest he wore, searching for something.

When Saya was ready to strangle the aggravating man, he suddenly replied. "Your shadow. That Haji fella."

"You mean…he's…" It was then she heard the whisper. _Saya. _She would have known that voice anywhere.

"Ha…ji?" She didn't dare to turn, fearing to see that it was only a figment of her imagination, but she forced herself, willing him into existence with all her might. There he was, before her disbelieving eyes, looking exactly as he always had, with the small smile on his face that she remembered from his childhood days, from their happier times before the war had begun, before she had taken on the mantle of responsibility to kill her own sister.

She took one tentative step towards him, not daring to believe in the miracle that stood before her. In a heartbeat, he was right in front of her, his loose hair blowing wildly in the wind, his bandaged Chiropteran hand slowly lifting up before it cupped her face. It was as cool as she remembered it. Tears flowed freely, and she lifted both her hands to capture his. His ice blue eyes were searing into hers, and at that moment, nothing else in the world existed besides him and her, and everything was finally perfect.

The moment was broken by Miyuki's cry of delight at seeing Haji. She rushed up and demanded his attention, followed by Kiyora, who took his other hand. From the way they acted around him and from the way he allowed himself to be pulled around by them, Saya could see that he and the twins had a very good relationship. But his Chiropteran hand held hers tightly, as if he had no intention of letting go, and she followed where he went, just enjoying the moment and the small contact that they had.

There would be time for talk and other things later; time was something they did not lack anymore.

***

It was well past midnight before everyone returned home, well past midnight before Kai and the girls had finally decided to go to bed, well past midnight before Saya and Haji could steal some time alone together.

There was no sleeping for her tonight. She did not dare close her eyes, for fear when she had opened them one again, it would all be a dream. However, deeper than that feeling of fear, she knew that he was _really there_, and that if she ever went into her Long Sleep again, she would no longer be reawakened by nightmares of his death, because he was with her. And he would always be by her side.

They were at the park near her house now. He sat on a stone bench, playing the cello while she stood nearby, leaning against a tree, her face wrought in shadows as she watched him. Somehow she felt that there was no need for words.

The moon was full tonight, and it bathed Haji in its silvery luminescence, making his pale skin glow and his thick hair shimmer. Saya felt herself drawn nearer and nearer to him, she knew it, and she didn't bother to fight it. After all, she was done and over with fighting.

When she stood behind him, she hesitated for a fraction of a second before throwing her arms around his neck and shoulders, leaning forward so that her left cheek rested on the top of his head. Her hair, long, longer than she had ever kept it for many years('_Ten year's growth,' _she mused in her head) cascaded forward until it covered both of them in a gleaming waterfall of black.

Haji stopped playing, laying the cello and its bow down onto the cello case that was on the bench next to him. His delicate fingers captured a few tendrils of her hair, and Saya watched as he toyed with it, smoothing it beneath his thumb and forefinger and twirling it absently.

"Haji?" she murmured, not releasing her grip on him.

"Yes?" He did not stop his attentions on her hair, instead, he started running his fingers through its length, over and over again in repeated strokes.

"Why don't you tie your hair anymore?" She had an inkling of an idea behind this, but she had wanted to get confirmation.

He shifted a little, just enough so that he could see her face. "Because we don't have to fight anymore." He moved, slow and languid, stirring as if he were about to stand, and she let go, moving back a little to allow him space to rise. Abruptly, he turned, still sitting on the bench, his hands reaching out to capture her wrist and waist, pulling her down towards him so that she landed in a rather unceremonious heap on his lap.

Her heart thudding furiously and a blush suffusing her features, she pursued the topic single mindedly to avoid thinking of anything else, like how close they were and how she could feel his breath tickling her cheek and how his arm felt, curled around her waist. "I don't get the connection."

"If I hadn't tied it in the past, it would have been whipping all over the place, getting into my eyes, blinding me, being an entire inconvenience and even a deadly distraction. Isn't it the same reason why you chose to cut yours too?" It was a rather long speech from Haji, who had always been the more reticent of the two.

"Actually…" Saya paused, blushing even deeper, feeling that this was embarrassing to admit even to Haji…or was it _especially _to Haji? "It's because I didn't want to look like Diva." The confession came out in a rush, and many other words followed. "Of course long hair was dreadfully inconvenient, after battling with the Chiropterans, not only was it heavy, the blood and gore that I had to wash out of it was rather disgusting. And when you think about aerodyna-" She stopped at the sight of Haji's smile which had been gradually growing wider and wider as she spoke, on any other person but Haji, it would have been a grin. He had not smiled that way in years, not since the Zoo days. He suddenly buried his head on her shoulder, and she could feel his body shaking. It took her a few seconds for her to realize that Haji was _laughing_, and the shock of it was almost overwhelming. She couldn't even remember the last time that she had seen him laugh. It was too rare to be missed, so she squirmed until her hands were free, and she lifted his face gently.

His eyes were still sparkling with mirth, and his small smile that was hers alone warmed her heart and her whole being.

"Oh Saya," he said with a small sigh, and the depth of fondness in his tone and the look of his eyes told her more than a passionate declaration of love ever could. Even as she was absorbing it in, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss.

And time stood still for them at that moment.

* * *

**AN:** And it's done! Apologies for any OOCness, I _tried_ to stay as close to the characters as I could. Random note on Haji's hair… I've always wondered why his hair was left loose during the time at the Zoo, but he chose to tie it for all time after that…then he left the ribbon at Saya's sleeping place..so this is my explanation! ;D

Like it? Hated it? Do review! And thank you all you lovely ones who did review the first chapter. You kept me writing! :D (and I have the glimmerings of an idea about hairlengths or something like that for a possible next story xD… _noIam__**not**__obsessedwithhair,whatevergaveyouthatidea…_


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